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James Beard Foundation Announces 2018 Nominees

March 14, 2018

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NEW YORK, NY (March 14, 2018) - The James Beard Foundation is proud to announce the nominees for the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards. The nominees were announced today during a breakfast at Parc by Stephen Starr in Philadelphia, co-hosted by Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation; and Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of VISIT PHILADELPHIA®.

Levitz, along with James Beard Award winner Stephen Starr, represented Philadelphia at the event, speaking on behalf of the city and announcing nominees in several categories. Additionally, David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, made key remarks. James Beard Foundation executive vice president Mitchell Davis and Anne Quatrano, James Beard Award winner and chair of the restaurant and chef committee, announced several categories of nominees alongside Foundation CEO Reichenbach. The event was streamed live on Twitter. William Quinn, executive chef of Parc, prepared breakfast for the event’s guests, including Poached Eggs with Piperade and French Feta; Herb-Encrusted Cold-Poached Beef Filet with Watercress-Mint Salad and Horseradish Cream; and Hazelnut Financiers and Miniature Coffee Cakes.

Nominees were announced in nearly 60 categories of the Foundation's various awards programs, including Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and Media. A complete list of nominees can be found at the end of this release, as well as at jamesbeard.org/awards.

Winners of the 2018 James Beard Media Awards will be announced at an exclusive event honoring the nation's top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Friday, April 27, 2018.

Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7, 2018. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.

Tickets to the May 7 Awards Gala and the April 27 Media Awards dinner will go on sale in March. Tickets are available at jamesbeard.org/awards/tickets and through the Awards Box Office 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday, by calling (914) 231-6180. General public tickets are $500; James Beard Foundation member tickets are $425. Individual tickets for the Media Awards are $350; table for 10, $3,500. VIP ticket options are also available. Please contact the box office for details.

Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and furthers the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program. All JBF Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.

The 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, HMSHost, Illinois Office of Tourism, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, TABASCO® Sauce, Woodford Reserve Bourbon; Supporting Sponsors: Breville® , Corporate Essentials, Hyatt, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, Taylor Precision Products, Valrhona, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House® , Kendall College; with additional support from: Chefwear, Emmi Roth, Loacker, and VerTerra Dinnerware.

About the James Beard Foundation (JBF)
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestream channel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.

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